Tipperary manager Liam Cahill says they have found the right group of players as they continue their recovery from the nadir of 2024.
Eleven months after shipping a horrendous beating against Cork at the same venue to conclude a miserable championship campaign, Tipp battled seven-in-a-row chasing Limerick to a draw in a packed Semple Stadium.
The hosts often led a tit-for-tat affair, John McGrath’s second-half brace of goals pushing them ahead down the stretch, however it took a late free from 19-year-old marksman Darragh McCarthy to secure a draw.
“We’re really proud. It was a typical Munster championship (game), end-to-end,” Cahill told RTÉ Sport afterwards.
“It’s a credit to the players. We have the right players in the dressing room now. Obviously, the door is always open but we have a real good bunch of players that have shown massive bravery.
“We were in a low place this time last year. We’re far from the finished article. But four championship debutants today, all under the age of 20. It’s about future-proofing this thing but also trying to deliver silverware because that’s the currency in Tipperary.
“Some days we mightn’t deliver as we want to but it isn’t for the want of trying, I can assure you of that. I think anybody who understands the hurling scene in Tipperary understands we’re at least two years away from where we believe we can be. But they’re making big strides and I’m proud to be the one helping them.”
The showing on Sunday was a world away from their hammering at the hands of Limerick in their Munster opener last year, a game notable for the paltry crowd who travelled from Tipp.
At the outset of the league, Cahill drew a distinction between the “knowledgeable” Tipperary supporters who understood time was required and those who were less patient. The manager praised the Tipp faithful for their efforts and said there was a team there to get behind.
“It’s only the first round of the Munster championship. There’s three difficult, huge games coming. It’ll be all for nothing unless we get something out of them as the weeks progress.
“Please God, we’ll stay consistent and try and get out of this province which is going to be fair difficult. We have to turn the page pretty quick this evening and prepare for the cauldron that is Páirc Uí Chaoimh in six days time.
“The Tipp supporters were superb today and I’m just delighted for them that they have something to follow for the rest of the year.”
Limerick boss John Kiely struck an upbeat note after the draw, while lamenting the errors that led to Tipp’s second half goals.
“You’re never over the line until you’re in the bus,” Kiely told Sunday Sport.
“We played well in parts and then a couple of small mistakes and got punished very badly for them.
“We won’t be happy with the goals we conceded – one off a sideline at the other end of the field for us. We’d be looking to retain that possession and get a shot off ourselves.
“Delighted with the workrate, delighted with a lot of our play, the cohesion in the team was good. Just a few mistakes and not as efficient in front of goals as we’d like to be. But a point on the road in Munster is a valuable point and that could well be the case in a few weeks time.
“It was the first time many of those lines were together this year, because of injuries. For us to produce a performance after four weeks without a game is actually brilliant from our perspective. It’ll bring us on a tonne.”
Kiely had re-jigged his starting XV before the off, with Will O’Donoghue shifted from midfield to centre-back, while Kyle Hayes was installed at centre-forward, a position he hadn’t occupied for Limerick since 2018.
“I thought William was really solid at six and I thought Kyle worked so hard up front,” Kiely said.
“He (Hayes) won ball in rucks, was assisting for scores, winning puckouts. He did an incredible amount.”
